Michael Charumbira, a 31-year-old Zimbabwean national, has been arrested in Australia by the Australian Federal Police in connection to a $828 million methamphetamine shipment destined for a local furniture shop.
According to Sky News, Charumbira was arrested last Wednesday at a property in Warwick Farm, southwest Sydney, following an anonymous tip-off received from the United States Homeland Security Investigations.
The tip-off linked large drug shipments to the Sydney-based furniture store.
Charumbira appeared before the Downing Centre Local Court on August 1 and will remain in custody until his next court appearance on October 2.
It is unclear whether the drugs were manufactured in the United States, Mexico or elsewhere but police will allege the staggering amount of meth was intended to be distributed “across the eastern seaboard”.
The Zimbabwean was charged with an alleged plot to import an estimated 896 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside packages contained within two separate computer numerical control (CNC) machines.
The maximum penalty for the offence is life in prison.
AFP Detective Superintendent Peter Fogarty estimated the almost 900kg amount of methamphetamine could have equated to about 8.9 million individual street deals.
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